The Registration Act
by RedHood97
Summary: The US government is imposing registration upon the costumed heroes of the world, but the Justice League won't just allow it to happen. No, they will not. But it could include a loss of one of their own... Disclaimer: I own nothing! I am making no profit off of this story. It is the property of DC Comics.
1. Chapter 1

The Registration Act

Chapter 1:

"What did you say? Sir?" Superman asked slowly, trying to process what the President had just announced via commlink to the founding members of the Justice League. "I do not like repeating myself, Superman, and I think you heard me quite well; as of 10.00 am this morning all superheroes are required to turn over their secret identities to the United States government if they wish to continue to be heroes. Otherwise we will be forced to arrest them and imprison them…" the President's speech died down slowly as the Dark Knight of Gotham rose from his chair in the shadows. "No." He stated calmly and quietly, the President looked at him in shock, "What do you mean, 'no'? It wasn't a question, I was telling you! You don't get a choice, this is happening whether you like it or not. And if you refuse to comply then I shall be forced to set the newly reinstated Project CADMUS on you and you shall be arrested and imprisoned, potentially indefinitely." All talk had died down in the meeting room; no one was speaking, Flash barely dared to breathe. After what seemed like hours Batman said just three words before cutting the communications feed. Then, without saying a word to anyone, he left. They all sat there reflecting on what Batman had just said to the President of the United States of America, "Let them come."

Chapter 2:

The President sat in the Oval Office and thought about the conversation he had just had with what was probably the most powerful group on Earth. In fact, they weren't even ON Earth, they were floating above it in an orbiting space station like gods hovering above mortals. If the CADMUS files could be believed some of them were gods, or at least like gods. His mind trailed back to the Batman's words, "Let them come", he wasn't afraid of him. That much was obvious. The thought rattled him slightly, he wasn't afraid of one of the most power people on Earth, a man who commanded one of the most powerful countries on Earth. It was insane. Then again, there were rumours that he WAS insane. There were lots of rumours about the Batman, even the CADMUS files were built on rumours and they had done extensive research on all of the Justice League. He would have to get them to focus on Batman, he mused, the rest could probably be persuaded or manipulated into agreeing to the Registration Act but something told him that Batman would defy the Act to the very end. He couldn't have that, it would incite rebellion among other heroes if Batman defied it; other heroes that possessed powers and that could prove to be catastrophic. No, he thought, Batman would have to be taken care of. One way or the other…

Chapter 3:

Batman sat at the giant, supercomputer in the Bat cave, monitoring a camera that he had managed to place in the Oval Office two years ago. It appeared that the President was planning his next move. "Well, two can play at that game Mr. President." He muttered to himself. He sat and considered what the President's next move would be, it would probably be to monitor him. He'd have to be careful, he'd have to retreat back into the shadows for a while. Maybe I should start stockpiling more weapons, he thought. He'd have to make sure that all ties between Bruce Wayne and the Batman were erased completely, he couldn't have them knowing that. As he began erasing all possible ties between his two identities, Batman thought, "Your move, Mr. President."

Chapter 4:

Amanda Waller stood in her office gazing at a video screen that had an uplink with the Oval Office. "When will CADMUS be fully operational, Director Waller?" The President asked grimly. "Within the week, Sir, we are just setting up the necessary equipment and then we shall be full operational. Why, is there an emergency that requires the services of my people?" The President appeared to think before saying, "There is no immediate emergency, but I would like all of your research teams to focus on the vigilante known as Batman, I believe him to be the biggest threat to the Registration Act. He also appears not to be intimidated by the knowledge that CADMUS could come after him. That suggests he knows what he's dealing with. So, I want to know everything about him, be it rumour or solid fact. You have the full support of the United States government to help you fulfill this mission, but keep it in the shadows. We don't want him knowing that we're after him. Surprise may be our only advantage. You have your assignment." With that the President cut the feed for the videoconference. Amanda Waller paused for a moment, thinking over what she had just been told, they are going after Batman first. She reached for the phone on her desk and typed in a number that would reach the Head of the Research Teams. "This is Waller, we just got our orders. Your first assignment is to research all information regarding the Batman." She winced slightly as she heard the man on the other end of the line (a man who had been in the military for nearly twenty years) fall out of his chair with a bang and curse.

Chapter 5:

Batman stood before the other founders and said, "The President is coming after me first. He will be sending CADMUS research teams after me and soon. That means that I will have to disappear for a while. Don't worry about supplying the Watchtower, I've rerouted the supplies through a number of dummy companies and sub-corporations. I've sent some of the orders through Queen Incorporated to try to throw them off. Any questions?" He suddenly realized that the other founders were staring at him with a mixture of confusion and alarm on their face. "How do you know that they're coming after you first? Surely a more logical choice would be Superman, since most people view him as the leader of the League?" Wonder Woman asked both of these questions with confusion clear on her face. "It may appear more logical," Batman said, "But I know for a fact that they are coming after me first." Green Lantern asked, "And how, exactly, do you know this for a fact?" The answer that followed left the founders with shock clearly etched onto their faces, "I bugged the Oval Office." He said it as though the answer was obvious. Superman broke through his shock first, "Y-you spy on the President? Of the United States?" Flash asked another question before Batman could answer Superman's, "Isn't that illegal? I mean re-ally illegal?"

"Apparently being a hero is also illegal, but yes, I believe it is an offense that requires the death penalty. And Superman," Batman walked towards the door as he said this, "I spy on everyone." And he left the room with six shocked and slightly disturbed superheroes.

Chapter 6:

"So, what do we know about him?" The President asked Waller, who stood in front of his desk. "Not very much, Sir. He's been active in the Gotham area for about 10 years. He is one of the founding members of the Justice League, and he can easily incite fear among both criminals and civilians. Even a lot of the superheroes on the League appear to be afraid of him. The rest of what we know is mainly rumour and guesswork and it is all in this report." She dropped a slim folder onto the desk in front of her. "That's it? The full power of the United States government is searching for information regarding one man and this small folder is the result?" Director Waller considered her next words very carefully before saying, "He appears to be very adept at staying in the shadows, even more so than the first Project CADMUS." She immediately regretted bringing up the first Project CADMUS, whom she had led, because the President's face darkened at the mention of the organization that had been founded without the consent of the government. "That will be all, Director." She saluted and left the Office.

Chapter 7:

The founders (apart from Batman) all sat inside the Watchtower meeting room. Superman asked, "Has anyone seen Batman since the last meeting?" Everyone shook their heads, as far as they knew Batman had not been on the Watchtower since the last founder's meeting. "I have not been able to pick up his telepathic signature," J'onn stated calmly. "Which means that he is currently not in the United States." They all paused as they absorbed this information. It left them with two options. "I suppose he could've left the country…" Superman said carefully. No one wanted to mention the other option. That CADMUS had caught up with him. "He did say that he would have to disappear for a while." Wonder Woman said uncertainly. "I wouldn't worry about Bats, nothing can hold that guy." Flash said jovially. But it was clear that they were all considering the possibility that the US government had captured Batman.

Chapter 8:

Dick Grayson tumbled out of bed at the sound of his phone. "What?" He said blearily. "I need your help." Dick was immediately awake. He had not been expecting that voice or those words, Bruce asking him for help? It wasn't possible. "Why?" He said. He tried to keep his voice in check, he and Bruce had not spoken in nearly three years and a lot was said. "The Registration Act. The government's sending CADMUS after me." Dick paused, taking this in. he had retired from crime fighting a year ago, deciding to help people through his police work. "I'm retired Bruce. What do you want me to do?" He said it with more anger than he had intended to. Bruce appeared to ignore it. "I need you to take control of Wayne Enterprises. I've already signed the papers naming you CEO in my place. All you need to do is sign them and watch the company." Dick was lost for words. "Why? Why do you need me to run your company?" Bruce made a noise of exasperation. "Because I am currently on the run. Don't worry about creating an alibi for Bruce Wayne, I've already got it covered. I am currently mounting climbing in the Himalayas and will be doing so for the next month or so. All you need to do is watch the company and help Alfred keep an eye on Tim." "Wait! What about Tim? He's Robin! Shouldn't he be on the run with you?"

"I've retired him from active duty for the present time, as I have done with Oracle. I've also locked down the Cave and sealed or destroyed all exits except for the main hangar door because that's the one I left through. I have also deactivated all power to it and I've sealed all of the back up caves and weapon stashes. I have destroyed all evidence that still existed that linked us to Batman." "Where are you then? I mean, I assume you're still active as Batman otherwise you'd be running the company as Bruce Wayne." Bruce paused, considering his answer. "I am currently at an undisclosed location, it's best if you don't know where in case they discover a link that I've missed. But I will tell you that I am not in America and that I probably won't call either you or the Manor for at least the next month. Maybe two. The League don't know where I am either. I couldn't risk telling them in case they've bugged the Tower. I left a note with Mr. Terrific though to upgrade the security and check for bugs or hacks in the system. Other than that I am completely off the grid. Watch yourself, Dick," and here Bruce's voice turned deadly serious. "I don't know for certain how much they know or how much they could find out. So watch yourself, and watch out for Tim and Alfred too. If this goes wrong we could have war on our hands. A war between the government and the League, and I know for a fact the government can't win and it's extremely important that the League don't win. That would be bad for everyone. Watch yourself." At that last word the connection ended and Dick stared at the floor for a few minutes. Then he began to pack and called work to say that he needed some personal time for a while, a long while. After he had done that he called a taxi to take him to Gotham City. A taxi to take him home.

Chapter 9:

Batman sat in a cave. It wasn't THE Cave, just a cave. The Batwing was parked nearby and there was a laptop and a phone in front of him. Well, he thought, that's Bruce Wayne's life taken care of. Now I need to worry about the Batman's. He packed up the few things he had brought with him and moved into the darker reaches of the new cave where he was building his base of operations. He glanced towards the entrance, snow was falling heavily. He wouldn't be able to leave until morning. He built up a fire and laid down on his back and closed his eyes and waited for morning. In the morning he was going for Waller.

Chapter 10:

Superman was beginning to get worried. The League hadn't heard from Batman in nearly two weeks. Normally that wasn't unusual but with the government's Registration Act it was worrying. The League were getting reports of unregistered heroes getting dragged from the streets by armed soldiers. More superheroes were joining the League each day, most even moving onto the Watchtower to be safe. There were even dark mutterings that CADMUS was building it's own team out of registered heroes. There weren't many at the moment but there soon would be. But he didn't know what to do other than accept the new members and offer them any rooms they had left, the Watchtower was beginning to get crowded though and they were having to have timeshare on bedrooms. That was another reason why he was worried about Batman not being there. Batman always had a plan, no matter the circumstance. In fact he would be surprised if Batman hadn't already planned for this eventuality. Where was he?

Chapter 11:

"There have been disturbing reports from Gotham," J'onn said gravely to the other founding members. "It doesn't sound like Batman is even in Gotham. Mr. Terrific and I have dispatched other heroes to try to cover but it is having very little effect. There are currently six Leaguers in Gotham and they are only about half as effective as Batman. I am worried, not just for Batman but for Gotham. Gotham needs its Dark Knight. And it needs it now." The original seven (minus Batman) thought about J'onn's words. They had never really considered how effective Batman was until he was actually not doing it. They found it a little hard to believe that six Leaguers were not as effective as one man. Even if that one man was Batman. Superman's earlier thoughts came back to him: where was he?

Chapter 12:

It was morning and the skies were clear of snow. Batman stood at the mouth of the cave and stared down. The new cave was roughly 500 feet in the air and could only be reached by flying. He had been gone two weeks, not just sitting idly in a cave, but gathering information. He had travelled the world. England, Russia, Africa, China. All were following in America's footsteps and initiating a variant of the Registration Act. It was worldwide and it had only been in effect for around two weeks. It had to be stopped, now. It was time to visit Amanda Waller…

Chapter 13:

Amanda Waller walked into her office and sat down in her chair behind her desk. A gloved hand reached past her and leaned on the desk. "Director Amanda Blake Waller. We meet at last. How was your meeting with the President?" She spun around in her chair and leaned back from the caped figure in front of her. The Batman leaned towards her, "What's the matter? Scared?" he said this mockingly. Her eyes hardened and her hand reached towards her desk drawer for her gun. "Why should I be scared?" She asked. "I see nothing to be afraid of. Just someone who is too afraid to step into the light." Her hand was inside the drawer and was grasping the cool grip of her gun. "Why are you here?" She asked coolly. The Batman glared at her for a couple of seconds before replying, "I'm here to shut you down." She laughed at him mockingly and stood up sharply, the hand holding the gun behind her back. "Really?" She asked. "And how are you planning on doing that? With some gadget from your belt?" She sneered at him before continuing, "You're nothing but a joke. A mortal pushing himself in among gods. You stand no chance of being their equal. And even if you believe you are, you are never leaving this facility… alive." On that last word she whipped the gun around and emptied the clip into him. He grunted in pain, two of the six bullets had gotten through his armour and entered his stomach. He jumped and pulled himself back into the ventilation system through which he had entered. Waller grabbed the phone on her desk and spoke over the announcement system, "Emergency! Priority alert! Batman is inside the facility! Security, by order of the President, you are authorized to use deadly force to take him down. He is wounded and currently in the ventilation system. GO!" She put the phone down and smiled. Finally, something positive to report to the President.

Chapter 14:

Batman crawled through the small tunnels, wincing in pain every so often. The two bullets that had pierced his armour were still inside his body. That was bad. He needed to get out and get to the Watchtower. He turned a corner and burst out of an external opening and jumped the fence beneath him. He ran, slower than usual due to his injuries and, when he was about a mile away, put his hand to his ear and activated his communicator, "Watchtower, Activate Emergency Teleport Sequence Batman-9-1-9-3-9." He just began to crumple to the ground as blue light enveloped him.

Chapter 15:

Mr. Terrific stared at the terminals in front of him in shock. Something had taken control of the teleporter pads without his authorization. That wasn't possible, they needed the authorization code from the Watchtower to work. He pushed a button and sirens began to sound across the station. The founding members arrived in seconds along with a security detail. "What's the situation, Mr. Terrific?" Superman asked with concern clearly written on his face. "Honestly, Superman, I have no idea. Something is teleporting up here without me authorizing it. The government might've hacked it and they could be sending up CADMUS troops. So I sounded the alarm." Superman nodded and flew down to the teleporter pads with the other founders following. Blue light began to glow on the pad and a familiar figure began to form. They were all smiling until they saw the blood. "J'onn! Prep the Medbay for immediate surgery!" Superman shouted as he rushed forward to catch Batman as he fell to the ground. As he caught him he felt Batman slip something into his hands and saw him glance at him before slipping into unconsciousness. He flew Batman to the Medbay where J'onn and the medical team set to work on Batman. Superman left the room and looked down at the object in his hand. It was a flash drive. "What's that?" Green Lantern asked as he got close enough to see his hand. "Something Batman obviously thought was worth his life." He said without looking at him. He glanced up at him, "Call the other founders to the meeting room, we need to see what's on here. Oh, bring Mr. Terrific too, it might be encrypted." If it's Batman's, he thought wryly, it's probably encrypted as well locked with passwords both numerical and alphabetical.

Chapter 16:

The founders (minus Batman and J'onn) and Mr. Terrific were inside the meeting room. Superman handed the flash drive to Mr. Terrific and he set to work hooking it up to the computers in front of them. "It's not encrypted." Mr. Terrific said, "It isn't even password protected." This shocked the founders, Batman protected and encrypted everything. "What's on the drive?" Green Lantern asked. "By the looks of things, information. Information regarding CADMUS and the Registration Act." Mr. Terrific continued searching and then he swore. "I don't know how, but Batman has gotten hold of data that only CADMUS would have. There are also reports regarding other countries following in America's footsteps and initiating a Registration Act. This must have been what Batman was doing for the last two weeks. Hold on a second." He typed on the keyboard in front of him for a few minutes and then said, "There's a video file called 'Waller'" he looked at the founders who all nodded for him to play it. A screen lit up showing Batman's face. It began to speak, "If you're watching this then my mission was a success and I have managed to break into and out of CADMUS. Here are some things you don't know but need to. 1) the Director in charge of CADMUS is Amanda Blake Waller, she also ran the first Project CADMUS. 2) CADMUS main headquarters are not located in the United States, they are located in the Himalayas. The coordinates are among the files on this drive. 3) they have access to teleporter technology similar to that of the Watchtower, they may have other types of advanced technology. 4) I do not know what information is on this drive because I only will have had time to copy everything off of the hard drive. 5) I do not know why I am unable to tell you these things in person, but you can find out. Go to my body, on my left gauntlet there is a small pocket on the back of the wrist. Inside there will be a small disk that will contain first person footage of everything I have seen, heard, or said in the last twenty-four hours. And finally, 6) do not dare to try to look under my mask, I will know. You wont like what you find under there anyway. If anyone tries to remove my mask bad things will happen, it contains security systems that can severely injure someone foolish enough to try." The face on the screen turned, scarily, to look at where Superman was sitting, "And that includes you Superman. In case I do not see you again alive then go inside the compartment on my belt to the left of the buckle. Inside there is a communicator, speak into it these exact words 'The Knight Has Fallen. Activate Emergency Protocol 1, Access Code Batman-9-1-9-3-9 Enter.' It should take care of everything. In the event of my death all supply orders will be moved to Queen Incorporated as opposed to my usual source. That is all, Batman Out." The screen went blank. They all looked at each other. Batman had planned everything down to the smallest detail while the League had just sat there and done nothing. But that was exactly what Batman had expected them to do. Superman then spoke, "Mr. Terrific, please start sorting through all of the information on that drive. I think the rest of need to see that disk."

Chapter 17:

"How is he, J'onn?" Wonder Woman asked with concern in her voice. J'onn looked at them all before answering, "He is stable for now, but he was shot multiple times, only two of which pierced his armour but the rest hit hard enough to crack his ribs. It is a wonder that he managed to escape on his own. We have managed to remove the bullets from his body, but one of them pierced his lung. We managed to stop the bleeding but we will know more if he survives the night." Green Lantern spoke, "We need to see him, J'onn. There's a disk in his glove that will tell us what has happened to him." J'onn merely stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. They all stopped in the doorway when they saw Batman. He was covered in dried blood. There were two stitched holes in his stomach where the bullets had entered. Superman approached his left side and gripped his gauntlet. Suddenly he found himself being flung to the other side of the Medbay. He was shocked, Batman had thrown him. Again, he thought wryly. He looked closely at Batman and realized that the Dark Knight was still unconscious. The other founders began to chuckle as they also realized this fact. Superman stood and stretched, it hadn't hurt anything (apart from his pride) but it had shocked him. Wonder Woman approached and said, "Would you like me to try, Kal?" There was mocking in her tone but the question was serious. Superman gestured for to try. She nodded and approached the unconscious Batman, she gently reached for his hand and was surprised when it shot out and grabbed her wrist. She looked at his face, it was turned towards her. He reached for his wrist and pulled out a small disk that was hidden in his gauntlet. He passed it to her and then let go of her wrist. He then pushed himself up without even a grunt of pain and began to attach his cape to his cowl. "Batman, I must insist that you rest. You will pull the stitches and you are still not out of the woods yet." J'onn said all of this with concern in his voice. Batman glared at him and said, "I've had worse." He then walked towards the door but Superman stood in his way. "Get out of my way," he paused and said under his breath, "Kent." Superman looked shocked and numbly stood aside. Batman nodded to him and continued walking. Wonder Woman looked with concern at her friend, "Kal? What's the matter? What did he say?" Superman stood in shock for a few minutes before saying, "He knows my secret identity. He just muttered my last name under his breath. Just loud enough for me to hear him." He looked at the rest of the League in shock before shaking himself and saying, "We better look at the disk." They went back to the meeting room and watched the disk in silence. They all visibly winced as they watched Waller pull a gun on Batman and open fire. They heard Batman grunt in pain as the bullets hit and they saw what he saw as he left the facility. Flash whistled softly. They knew Batman was tough, but that tough?


	2. Chapter 2

The Registration Act

Chapter 1:

"What did you say? Sir?" Superman asked slowly, trying to process what the President had just announced via commlink to the founding members of the Justice League. "I do not like repeating myself, Superman, and I think you heard me quite well; as of 10.00 am this morning all superheroes are required to turn over their secret identities to the United States government if they wish to continue to be heroes. Otherwise we will be forced to arrest them and imprison them…" the President's speech died down slowly as the Dark Knight of Gotham rose from his chair in the shadows. "No." He stated calmly and quietly, the President looked at him in shock, "What do you mean, 'no'? It wasn't a question, I was telling you! You don't get a choice, this is happening whether you like it or not. And if you refuse to comply then I shall be forced to set the newly reinstated Project CADMUS on you and you shall be arrested and imprisoned, potentially indefinitely." All talk had died down in the meeting room; no one was speaking, Flash barely dared to breathe. After what seemed like hours Batman said just three words before cutting the communications feed. Then, without saying a word to anyone, he left. They all sat there reflecting on what Batman had just said to the President of the United States of America, "Let them come."

Chapter 2:

The President sat in the Oval Office and thought about the conversation he had just had with what was probably the most powerful group on Earth. In fact, they weren't even ON Earth, they were floating above it in an orbiting space station like gods hovering above mortals. If the CADMUS files could be believed some of them were gods, or at least like gods. His mind trailed back to the Batman's words, "Let them come", he wasn't afraid of him. That much was obvious. The thought rattled him slightly, he wasn't afraid of one of the most power people on Earth, a man who commanded one of the most powerful countries on Earth. It was insane. Then again, there were rumours that he WAS insane. There were lots of rumours about the Batman, even the CADMUS files were built on rumours and they had done extensive research on all of the Justice League. He would have to get them to focus on Batman, he mused, the rest could probably be persuaded or manipulated into agreeing to the Registration Act but something told him that Batman would defy the Act to the very end. He couldn't have that, it would incite rebellion among other heroes if Batman defied it; other heroes that possessed powers and that could prove to be catastrophic. No, he thought, Batman would have to be taken care of. One way or the other…

Chapter 3:

Batman sat at the giant, supercomputer in the Bat cave, monitoring a camera that he had managed to place in the Oval Office two years ago. It appeared that the President was planning his next move. "Well, two can play at that game Mr. President." He muttered to himself. He sat and considered what the President's next move would be, it would probably be to monitor him. He'd have to be careful, he'd have to retreat back into the shadows for a while. Maybe I should start stockpiling more weapons, he thought. He'd have to make sure that all ties between Bruce Wayne and the Batman were erased completely, he couldn't have them knowing that. As he began erasing all possible ties between his two identities, Batman thought, "Your move, Mr. President."

Chapter 4:

Amanda Waller stood in her office gazing at a video screen that had an uplink with the Oval Office. "When will CADMUS be fully operational, Director Waller?" The President asked grimly. "Within the week, Sir, we are just setting up the necessary equipment and then we shall be full operational. Why, is there an emergency that requires the services of my people?" The President appeared to think before saying, "There is no immediate emergency, but I would like all of your research teams to focus on the vigilante known as Batman, I believe him to be the biggest threat to the Registration Act. He also appears not to be intimidated by the knowledge that CADMUS could come after him. That suggests he knows what he's dealing with. So, I want to know everything about him, be it rumour or solid fact. You have the full support of the United States government to help you fulfill this mission, but keep it in the shadows. We don't want him knowing that we're after him. Surprise may be our only advantage. You have your assignment." With that the President cut the feed for the videoconference. Amanda Waller paused for a moment, thinking over what she had just been told, they are going after Batman first. She reached for the phone on her desk and typed in a number that would reach the Head of the Research Teams. "This is Waller, we just got our orders. Your first assignment is to research all information regarding the Batman." She winced slightly as she heard the man on the other end of the line (a man who had been in the military for nearly twenty years) fall out of his chair with a bang and curse.

Chapter 5:

Batman stood before the other founders and said, "The President is coming after me first. He will be sending CADMUS research teams after me and soon. That means that I will have to disappear for a while. Don't worry about supplying the Watchtower, I've rerouted the supplies through a number of dummy companies and sub-corporations. I've sent some of the orders through Queen Incorporated to try to throw them off. Any questions?" He suddenly realized that the other founders were staring at him with a mixture of confusion and alarm on their face. "How do you know that they're coming after you first? Surely a more logical choice would be Superman, since most people view him as the leader of the League?" Wonder Woman asked both of these questions with confusion clear on her face. "It may appear more logical," Batman said, "But I know for a fact that they are coming after me first." Green Lantern asked, "And how, exactly, do you know this for a fact?" The answer that followed left the founders with shock clearly etched onto their faces, "I bugged the Oval Office." He said it as though the answer was obvious. Superman broke through his shock first, "Y-you spy on the President? Of the United States?" Flash asked another question before Batman could answer Superman's, "Isn't that illegal? I mean re-ally illegal?"

"Apparently being a hero is also illegal, but yes, I believe it is an offense that requires the death penalty. And Superman," Batman walked towards the door as he said this, "I spy on everyone." And he left the room with six shocked and slightly disturbed superheroes.

Chapter 6:

"So, what do we know about him?" The President asked Waller, who stood in front of his desk. "Not very much, Sir. He's been active in the Gotham area for about 10 years. He is one of the founding members of the Justice League, and he can easily incite fear among both criminals and civilians. Even a lot of the superheroes on the League appear to be afraid of him. The rest of what we know is mainly rumour and guesswork and it is all in this report." She dropped a slim folder onto the desk in front of her. "That's it? The full power of the United States government is searching for information regarding one man and this small folder is the result?" Director Waller considered her next words very carefully before saying, "He appears to be very adept at staying in the shadows, even more so than the first Project CADMUS." She immediately regretted bringing up the first Project CADMUS, whom she had led, because the President's face darkened at the mention of the organization that had been founded without the consent of the government. "That will be all, Director." She saluted and left the Office.

Chapter 7:

The founders (apart from Batman) all sat inside the Watchtower meeting room. Superman asked, "Has anyone seen Batman since the last meeting?" Everyone shook their heads, as far as they knew Batman had not been on the Watchtower since the last founder's meeting. "I have not been able to pick up his telepathic signature," J'onn stated calmly. "Which means that he is currently not in the United States." They all paused as they absorbed this information. It left them with two options. "I suppose he could've left the country…" Superman said carefully. No one wanted to mention the other option. That CADMUS had caught up with him. "He did say that he would have to disappear for a while." Wonder Woman said uncertainly. "I wouldn't worry about Bats, nothing can hold that guy." Flash said jovially. But it was clear that they were all considering the possibility that the US government had captured Batman.

Chapter 8:

Dick Grayson tumbled out of bed at the sound of his phone. "What?" He said blearily. "I need your help." Dick was immediately awake. He had not been expecting that voice or those words, Bruce asking him for help? It wasn't possible. "Why?" He said. He tried to keep his voice in check, he and Bruce had not spoken in nearly three years and a lot was said. "The Registration Act. The government's sending CADMUS after me." Dick paused, taking this in. he had retired from crime fighting a year ago, deciding to help people through his police work. "I'm retired Bruce. What do you want me to do?" He said it with more anger than he had intended to. Bruce appeared to ignore it. "I need you to take control of Wayne Enterprises. I've already signed the papers naming you CEO in my place. All you need to do is sign them and watch the company." Dick was lost for words. "Why? Why do you need me to run your company?" Bruce made a noise of exasperation. "Because I am currently on the run. Don't worry about creating an alibi for Bruce Wayne, I've already got it covered. I am currently mounting climbing in the Himalayas and will be doing so for the next month or so. All you need to do is watch the company and help Alfred keep an eye on Tim." "Wait! What about Tim? He's Robin! Shouldn't he be on the run with you?"

"I've retired him from active duty for the present time, as I have done with Oracle. I've also locked down the Cave and sealed or destroyed all exits except for the main hangar door because that's the one I left through. I have also deactivated all power to it and I've sealed all of the back up caves and weapon stashes. I have destroyed all evidence that still existed that linked us to Batman." "Where are you then? I mean, I assume you're still active as Batman otherwise you'd be running the company as Bruce Wayne." Bruce paused, considering his answer. "I am currently at an undisclosed location, it's best if you don't know where in case they discover a link that I've missed. But I will tell you that I am not in America and that I probably won't call either you or the Manor for at least the next month. Maybe two. The League don't know where I am either. I couldn't risk telling them in case they've bugged the Tower. I left a note with Mr. Terrific though to upgrade the security and check for bugs or hacks in the system. Other than that I am completely off the grid. Watch yourself, Dick," and here Bruce's voice turned deadly serious. "I don't know for certain how much they know or how much they could find out. So watch yourself, and watch out for Tim and Alfred too. If this goes wrong we could have war on our hands. A war between the government and the League, and I know for a fact the government can't win and it's extremely important that the League don't win. That would be bad for everyone. Watch yourself." At that last word the connection ended and Dick stared at the floor for a few minutes. Then he began to pack and called work to say that he needed some personal time for a while, a long while. After he had done that he called a taxi to take him to Gotham City. A taxi to take him home.

Chapter 9:

Batman sat in a cave. It wasn't THE Cave, just a cave. The Batwing was parked nearby and there was a laptop and a phone in front of him. Well, he thought, that's Bruce Wayne's life taken care of. Now I need to worry about the Batman's. He packed up the few things he had brought with him and moved into the darker reaches of the new cave where he was building his base of operations. He glanced towards the entrance, snow was falling heavily. He wouldn't be able to leave until morning. He built up a fire and laid down on his back and closed his eyes and waited for morning. In the morning he was going for Waller.

Chapter 10:

Superman was beginning to get worried. The League hadn't heard from Batman in nearly two weeks. Normally that wasn't unusual but with the government's Registration Act it was worrying. The League were getting reports of unregistered heroes getting dragged from the streets by armed soldiers. More superheroes were joining the League each day, most even moving onto the Watchtower to be safe. There were even dark mutterings that CADMUS was building it's own team out of registered heroes. There weren't many at the moment but there soon would be. But he didn't know what to do other than accept the new members and offer them any rooms they had left, the Watchtower was beginning to get crowded though and they were having to have timeshare on bedrooms. That was another reason why he was worried about Batman not being there. Batman always had a plan, no matter the circumstance. In fact he would be surprised if Batman hadn't already planned for this eventuality. Where was he?

Chapter 11:

"There have been disturbing reports from Gotham," J'onn said gravely to the other founding members. "It doesn't sound like Batman is even in Gotham. Mr. Terrific and I have dispatched other heroes to try to cover but it is having very little effect. There are currently six Leaguers in Gotham and they are only about half as effective as Batman. I am worried, not just for Batman but for Gotham. Gotham needs its Dark Knight. And it needs it now." The original seven (minus Batman) thought about J'onn's words. They had never really considered how effective Batman was until he was actually not doing it. They found it a little hard to believe that six Leaguers were not as effective as one man. Even if that one man was Batman. Superman's earlier thoughts came back to him: where was he?

Chapter 12:

It was morning and the skies were clear of snow. Batman stood at the mouth of the cave and stared down. The new cave was roughly 500 feet in the air and could only be reached by flying. He had been gone two weeks, not just sitting idly in a cave, but gathering information. He had travelled the world. England, Russia, Africa, China. All were following in America's footsteps and initiating a variant of the Registration Act. It was worldwide and it had only been in effect for around two weeks. It had to be stopped, now. It was time to visit Amanda Waller…

Chapter 13:

Amanda Waller walked into her office and sat down in her chair behind her desk. A gloved hand reached past her and leaned on the desk. "Director Amanda Blake Waller. We meet at last. How was your meeting with the President?" She spun around in her chair and leaned back from the caped figure in front of her. The Batman leaned towards her, "What's the matter? Scared?" he said this mockingly. Her eyes hardened and her hand reached towards her desk drawer for her gun. "Why should I be scared?" She asked. "I see nothing to be afraid of. Just someone who is too afraid to step into the light." Her hand was inside the drawer and was grasping the cool grip of her gun. "Why are you here?" She asked coolly. The Batman glared at her for a couple of seconds before replying, "I'm here to shut you down." She laughed at him mockingly and stood up sharply, the hand holding the gun behind her back. "Really?" She asked. "And how are you planning on doing that? With some gadget from your belt?" She sneered at him before continuing, "You're nothing but a joke. A mortal pushing himself in among gods. You stand no chance of being their equal. And even if you believe you are, you are never leaving this facility… alive." On that last word she whipped the gun around and emptied the clip into him. He grunted in pain, two of the six bullets had gotten through his armour and entered his stomach. He jumped and pulled himself back into the ventilation system through which he had entered. Waller grabbed the phone on her desk and spoke over the announcement system, "Emergency! Priority alert! Batman is inside the facility! Security, by order of the President, you are authorized to use deadly force to take him down. He is wounded and currently in the ventilation system. GO!" She put the phone down and smiled. Finally, something positive to report to the President.

Chapter 14:

Batman crawled through the small tunnels, wincing in pain every so often. The two bullets that had pierced his armour were still inside his body. That was bad. He needed to get out and get to the Watchtower. He turned a corner and burst out of an external opening and jumped the fence beneath him. He ran, slower than usual due to his injuries and, when he was about a mile away, put his hand to his ear and activated his communicator, "Watchtower, Activate Emergency Teleport Sequence Batman-9-1-9-3-9." He just began to crumple to the ground as blue light enveloped him.

Chapter 15:

Mr. Terrific stared at the terminals in front of him in shock. Something had taken control of the teleporter pads without his authorization. That wasn't possible, they needed the authorization code from the Watchtower to work. He pushed a button and sirens began to sound across the station. The founding members arrived in seconds along with a security detail. "What's the situation, Mr. Terrific?" Superman asked with concern clearly written on his face. "Honestly, Superman, I have no idea. Something is teleporting up here without me authorizing it. The government might've hacked it and they could be sending up CADMUS troops. So I sounded the alarm." Superman nodded and flew down to the teleporter pads with the other founders following. Blue light began to glow on the pad and a familiar figure began to form. They were all smiling until they saw the blood. "J'onn! Prep the Medbay for immediate surgery!" Superman shouted as he rushed forward to catch Batman as he fell to the ground. As he caught him he felt Batman slip something into his hands and saw him glance at him before slipping into unconsciousness. He flew Batman to the Medbay where J'onn and the medical team set to work on Batman. Superman left the room and looked down at the object in his hand. It was a flash drive. "What's that?" Green Lantern asked as he got close enough to see his hand. "Something Batman obviously thought was worth his life." He said without looking at him. He glanced up at him, "Call the other founders to the meeting room, we need to see what's on here. Oh, bring Mr. Terrific too, it might be encrypted." If it's Batman's, he thought wryly, it's probably encrypted as well locked with passwords both numerical and alphabetical.

Chapter 16:

The founders (minus Batman and J'onn) and Mr. Terrific were inside the meeting room. Superman handed the flash drive to Mr. Terrific and he set to work hooking it up to the computers in front of them. "It's not encrypted." Mr. Terrific said, "It isn't even password protected." This shocked the founders, Batman protected and encrypted everything. "What's on the drive?" Green Lantern asked. "By the looks of things, information. Information regarding CADMUS and the Registration Act." Mr. Terrific continued searching and then he swore. "I don't know how, but Batman has gotten hold of data that only CADMUS would have. There are also reports regarding other countries following in America's footsteps and initiating a Registration Act. This must have been what Batman was doing for the last two weeks. Hold on a second." He typed on the keyboard in front of him for a few minutes and then said, "There's a video file called 'Waller'" he looked at the founders who all nodded for him to play it. A screen lit up showing Batman's face. It began to speak, "If you're watching this then my mission was a success and I have managed to break into and out of CADMUS. Here are some things you don't know but need to. 1) the Director in charge of CADMUS is Amanda Blake Waller, she also ran the first Project CADMUS. 2) CADMUS main headquarters are not located in the United States, they are located in the Himalayas. The coordinates are among the files on this drive. 3) they have access to teleporter technology similar to that of the Watchtower, they may have other types of advanced technology. 4) I do not know what information is on this drive because I only will have had time to copy everything off of the hard drive. 5) I do not know why I am unable to tell you these things in person, but you can find out. Go to my body, on my left gauntlet there is a small pocket on the back of the wrist. Inside there will be a small disk that will contain first person footage of everything I have seen, heard, or said in the last twenty-four hours. And finally, 6) do not dare to try to look under my mask, I will know. You wont like what you find under there anyway. If anyone tries to remove my mask bad things will happen, it contains security systems that can severely injure someone foolish enough to try." The face on the screen turned, scarily, to look at where Superman was sitting, "And that includes you Superman. In case I do not see you again alive then go inside the compartment on my belt to the left of the buckle. Inside there is a communicator, speak into it these exact words 'The Knight Has Fallen. Activate Emergency Protocol 1, Access Code Batman-9-1-9-3-9 Enter.' It should take care of everything. In the event of my death all supply orders will be moved to Queen Incorporated as opposed to my usual source. That is all, Batman Out." The screen went blank. They all looked at each other. Batman had planned everything down to the smallest detail while the League had just sat there and done nothing. But that was exactly what Batman had expected them to do. Superman then spoke, "Mr. Terrific, please start sorting through all of the information on that drive. I think the rest of need to see that disk."

Chapter 17:

"How is he, J'onn?" Wonder Woman asked with concern in her voice. J'onn looked at them all before answering, "He is stable for now, but he was shot multiple times, only two of which pierced his armour but the rest hit hard enough to crack his ribs. It is a wonder that he managed to escape on his own. We have managed to remove the bullets from his body, but one of them pierced his lung. We managed to stop the bleeding but we will know more if he survives the night." Green Lantern spoke, "We need to see him, J'onn. There's a disk in his glove that will tell us what has happened to him." J'onn merely stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. They all stopped in the doorway when they saw Batman. He was covered in dried blood. There were two stitched holes in his stomach where the bullets had entered. Superman approached his left side and gripped his gauntlet. Suddenly he found himself being flung to the other side of the Medbay. He was shocked, Batman had thrown him. Again, he thought wryly. He looked closely at Batman and realized that the Dark Knight was still unconscious. The other founders began to chuckle as they also realized this fact. Superman stood and stretched, it hadn't hurt anything (apart from his pride) but it had shocked him. Wonder Woman approached and said, "Would you like me to try, Kal?" There was mocking in her tone but the question was serious. Superman gestured for to try. She nodded and approached the unconscious Batman, she gently reached for his hand and was surprised when it shot out and grabbed her wrist. She looked at his face, it was turned towards her. He reached for his wrist and pulled out a small disk that was hidden in his gauntlet. He passed it to her and then let go of her wrist. He then pushed himself up without even a grunt of pain and began to attach his cape to his cowl. "Batman, I must insist that you rest. You will pull the stitches and you are still not out of the woods yet." J'onn said all of this with concern in his voice. Batman glared at him and said, "I've had worse." He then walked towards the door but Superman stood in his way. "Get out of my way," he paused and said under his breath, "Kent." Superman looked shocked and numbly stood aside. Batman nodded to him and continued walking. Wonder Woman looked with concern at her friend, "Kal? What's the matter? What did he say?" Superman stood in shock for a few minutes before saying, "He knows my secret identity. He just muttered my last name under his breath. Just loud enough for me to hear him." He looked at the rest of the League in shock before shaking himself and saying, "We better look at the disk." They went back to the meeting room and watched the disk in silence. They all visibly winced as they watched Waller pull a gun on Batman and open fire. They heard Batman grunt in pain as the bullets hit and they saw what he saw as he left the facility. Flash whistled softly. They knew Batman was tough, but that tough?

Chapter 18:

Batman beamed down to Gotham. He had been away too long. Crime had risen, it was time for the Dark Knight to rise again. He tuned his comm. unit into the police channels and began to listen. Robbery in progress. Time to work.

Chapter 19:

"Director, we have Batman in our scopes. Just say the word." Amanda Waller paused for a moment on the other end of the comms. unit, her face suddenly hardened and she said, "Captain, if you or your men have a clear shot then you are to take it. That man is a fugitive. And Captain? By order of the President you are authorised to use deadly force." The Captain smiled and said to his men, "Take that Bat out of the sky." The snipers trailed their scopes on the disappearing Dark Knight and, as one, they all pulled the triggers. Batman dropped from the sky and fell to the ground. "Director? The Batman is down." Amanda Waller smiled.

Chapter 20:

"Superman! Turn on the TV to Gotham News." Superman did it immediately, as soon as he heard the alarm in the Flash's usually happy and cheerful voice. The news reader began to speak, "It is with great regret that we must report to the people of Gotham and the country that Batman is dead. He was found late last night littered with bullets by the Gotham Police Department. His body is currently in their care until something can be decided. This is Gotham News." The founders all stared at the screen. Wonder Woman was sobbing quietly. Flash was also crying softly. Green Lantern stood stoically but grief was clearly visible. J'onn was upset by the news. And Superman? He felt numb. He couldn't believe. Batman was dead. It just wasn't possible. He stood up, "We need to go to Gotham." They all nodded in agreement and rose from their chairs and headed for the javelins. They would need to transport Batman's body.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 21:

How did this happen? Jim Gordon thought angrily to himself. He was Batman. Yes, he had been hurt before but never that bad. The Justice League had called and said that they would be arriving soon to take care of the body. It wasn't technically legal but screw legal. His friend had just died. I better go and wait for them to get here, he thought and walked away from the body of the Dark Knight Detective.

Chapter 22:

The League landed the Javelin just outside of Gotham and set off for GCPD. When they arrived Commissioner Gordon met them. He looks genuinely upset, thought Superman. Maybe Batman worked with him? "Justice League." He greeted them gruffly. "Follow me." They followed him inside to the mortuary. In the center of the room there stood a steel table. Next to the steel table was a tray of instruments, instruments commonly used in an autopsy. They appeared to be unused. Gordon caught Superman looking at them and said, "I cancelled the post-mortem. Wasn't really necessary. The cause of death was obvious." On the steel table lay the body of Batman, Gotham City's Dark Knight. His cowl was still firmly in place, Superman noticed. "Got one of the morticians up in medical because of him." Gordon said with a small grin. "Why?" Wonder Woman asked confused. "He has some sort of defense set up in the cowl. The mortician tried to see under and some type of gas shot out and knocked him out cold. He's still unconscious and it was about four hours ago. They all laughed. That was definitely Batman. "Wait," Green Lantern said suddenly. "Didn't he say that if anything happened to him to say something into a communicator in his belt?" Superman nodded and reached for the correct compartment. He was immensely surprised when an electrical current shot out and even more surprised when it threw him across the room. "What the hell?" He muttered. Green Lantern scanned the belt with his ring and said, "From what limited scans I can pick up it looks like the current was run through a small piece of kryptonite. Looks like he planned for you." Flash asked, "Why were the scans limited? I thought your ring was one of the most powerful things in the universe." Green Lantern said, "It is but his belt is yellow, the colour of fear and the enemy of will. It makes it harder to scan. He probably planned for that as well." He finished his sentence with a wry smile. "Probably." They all agreed. "I can help you get in," said a voice at the window. They all turned around and saw a young man in a black suit with a blue bird across the chest and with a small domino mask on his face. "And you are?" Superman asked warily. Batman didn't like other heroes in his city. The figure stood and bowed before saying, "Nightwing, at your service. I used to work with Batman." Superman was extremely wary now, Batman didn't really work with anyone and he had never mentioned a 'Nightwing.' "Prove it." He said. The young man looked at him for a moment before saying, "How? You don't anything about him that couldn't be found out on the street. But, I suppose I can prove by doing this." He walked up the body and clicked twice on the compartment. It clicked open without even a spark. He then reached and threw the communicator to Superman. "You might want to wait until around midnight before you activate the Emergency Protocol. Oracle should be online by then." And before they could say anything else he leaped sideways through the window. They all just stared after him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 23:

The League headed back to the Javelin to wait for midnight. A few hours later the clocks struck twelve. Superman reached for the communicator and said, "The Knight Has Fallen. Activate Emergency Protocol 1, Access Code Batman-9-1-9-3-9 Enter." A tinny robotic voice said, "Received and Understood. Initiating Emergency Protocol 1." The Javelin began to shudder. "What the heck's going on?" shouted the Flash. Superman answered, "I think we're taking off!" And they were. The Javelins engines fired up and the plane swooped into the sky. The journey lasted less than ten minutes when they began to feel the plane landing. The ramp lowered and they descended into a dark cave. "Where are we?" asked Wonder Woman. Superman said, "I have no idea. Something is blocking my x-ray vision. It looks like the entire cave is lined with steel and lead. A lot of lead." Lights began to flicker on along a walkway that leads to a large computer. They followed the lights to the computer, which flickered to life. On the screen was a video image of Batman. "Welcome, Justice League. You are in the center of my operations. The focal point of all that is Batman. If you are here then I am more than likely dead. Luckily I have prepared for this eventuality. Within this cave there is everything you could possibly need. This computer contains information regarding every hero, villain, organization or government that I have either heard of or dealt with personally. There are contingency plans regarding every possible scenario I could think of. I do not know the reason for my death but I am confident that the answer lies within this computer. I but ask one thing. Do not try to discover my identity. Allow me to die in anonymity. Allow the legend of Batman to remain just that. A legend. If by chance you figure it out then I ask you to keep it to yourself. But back to the reason that you are here. A few years ago the villain named Bane broke my spine and I was forced to the deal with the possibility that I might never be Batman again. That was unacceptable for me. So I planned and I prepared. I would not leave Gotham unprotected, so I devised numerous methods of preventing this. My main course of action was training my replacements. You will find them in the form of Nightwing, Robin, and Oracle. Do not attempt to find them, they will find you. As soon as you activated the Protocol they knew that they were needed. Trust them as you did me. But I also devised other ways. One of these was an Artificial Intelligence called Watchman that could monitor all forms of crime within Gotham and the surrounding area and then predict future possible crimes. A copy of Watchman's source code was transmitted to the Watchtower as soon as you initiated Protocol 1, along with all relevant information on this computer. These two plans will help you in more ways than I could. And now I have advice to give. It wasn't a custom I participated in during life so I will do it in death. The main issue is you need to trust each other more. You do not fully trust each other. You do not tell each other your secret identities or personal details regarding yourselves. So I shall do it for you. Superman, your birth name is Kal-El; your adopted name is Clark Kent. You were raised in Smallville, Kansas by Martha and Jonathon Kent. You lived on a farm. You are a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Flash, your real name is Wallace Rudolph West, you commonly go by Wally. You live in Central City, your parents died in a car accident when you were nine. You lived with your uncle, Barry Allen, from there on. Your uncle was the second Flash; your uncle's friend Jay Garrick was the original. Your day job is that of a forensic scientist. Wonder Woman, you created the identity of Diana Prince. When not on the Watchtower you live in Keystone City. You participate in numerous charities, usually related to helping women and children. Green Lantern, your real name is John Stewart. You used to be a Marine. In real life you are an architect. Martian Manhunter, your birth name is J'onn J'onzz, your created name is John Jones. You work as a police officer when not on the Watchtower. On Mars you were married with children. You like Oreos. You see, I know more about you than you do about each other, or me. You need to trust more to work together better. And I know that this is irony, coming from the nut from Gotham. Yes, I know all about the gossip on the Watchtower. All of it. Every word said was recorded and is stored on this computer. I know everything that happens on the Watchtower. Everything about you. And yet you know nothing about me. And that is the way it shall now stay. As I stated earlier, I do not know the situation regarding my death, but my guess is that it's bad. So watch yourselves. Get back in the Javelin and it will head for the Watchtower. Batman out." They all stared at each other and then headed for the Javelin. They all felt vulnerable and also extremely guilty. Vulnerable because their secrets had just been revealed and guilty for the things that they said about Batman without realizing he heard every word. They also felt guilt for not trying to get to know him at all. They just allowed him to isolate himself. So there they were on the Javelin heading for the Watchtower, surrounded by guilt, shame and vulnerability.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 24:

The Javelin flew gently back to the Watchtower. They all sat in silence and thought about everything that had happened. "He knew everything about us." Green Lantern said, "and we never even attempted to learn about him. What does that say about us." They all turned around to look at the body of Batman that was currently in a containment unit. "How do we find his partners?" Wonder Woman asked curiously, she hadn't even known that Batman worked with anyone outside of the League. "Batman said that they would find us. So we just wait." While they were talking, a shadow detached itself from the ceiling and entered the loading bay silently. Not even Superman with his super-hearing heard him.

The Javelin docked with the Watchtower and the founders took Batman's body to the Medbay until they decided upon an appropriate burial. They then went to the meeting room, not noticing the dark shape that followed them. As the shape passed a camera it would erase itself and recycle old footage. He activated a device mounted on his wrist and became a hazy blur and managed to slip past the founders into the meeting room. They all sat around the table and began looking through the information that Batman had given them. It was information on everything from Justice League members to super villains. It listed strengths, weaknesses, allies and enemies. It also showed last known whereabouts and a minimum of five plans designed to neutralize them if the need arose. As they discussed the information, the haze deactivated the device and became completely visible again. He also happened to be sat in Batman's old seat when he did so. The founders jumped to their feet. In Batman's old chair sat a tall figure dressed in an all black combat suit, fitted with Kevlar plates and bandoliers and belts all fitted around a black harness. The mask on his face was a round black metal helmet with deep red lenses for eyes. The suit also appeared to have wires trailing all across it. "Who are you?" Superman demanded. "How did you get on the Watchtower?" The dark figure turned towards him and said in a robotically altered voice, "Javelin. Same one as you. Been in it since you were in the cave." They all stared at each other in shock. "Why didn't the sensors or camera pick you up?" Green Lantern asked angrily. The dark figure turned towards him and replied, "Because my suit is better than your sensors." Superman said, "You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"

"You may call me Insider. I am an ally of Batman. And no I am not his partner or one of his protégés. I am an ally. That is why he did not mention me in the protocol. But I was aware of the protocol activating and decided to investigate." "How do you know Batman, and why hasn't he mentioned you?" Wonder Woman asked curiously. "I know Batman because I have worked with him before, and he hasn't mentioned me because he doesn't mention a lot of things. Anyway, back to why I am here. I have information you need that Batman cant give you." Superman replied, "And that is?" Insider looked at them all carefully before replying, "I can tell you the location of the Central Control Base of Project CADMUS. I can also provide detailed schematics regarding base layout, guards, and security systems. And I can get us in." Green Lantern looked skeptical, "And how did you get this information exactly? And can you prove that you are an ally of Batman's?" Green Lantern was still wary of the dark figure in front of them. "I can prove it. I can show you the information that the protocol sent to me." Flash interrupted, "What exactly is this protocol? It seems to be doing a hell of a lot for just one protocol." Insider appeared to be considering his answer carefully. "The protocol is the final contingency plan. It is the plan for when all other plans fail. It is the ultimate plan for when Batman died. As soon as you activated it, hundreds of things were set in motion. For one it sent out messages for all of Batman's allies. To name a few, there are: Nightwing, Batgirl, Oracle, Red Robin, Robin, Black Bat, Red Hood, Jason Blood, Catwoman, Commissioner James Gordon, Huntress, Question, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Creeper, The Outsiders, Azrael, Zatanna Zatarra, Wildcat, Plastic Man, Toyman III, Blue Beetle, Alan Scott, and of course me. There are others who are connected but these are the main players in the protocol, through those that I have named there is also: the Titans, the Teen Titans, and the Team. Batman planned. The protocol also set off a project Bruce Wayne had design with his Batman Incorporated. Basically it activated seven prototype Batman robots to patrol Gotham and stop certain pre-programmed crimes. The idea was that they acted as a hive mind under Watchman, which I believe you have a copy of the source code. He was always a little wary of that. He didn't trust it activating on its own so he wanted Mr. Terrific to take a look at it before activating it. The protocol also activated a remote erasure of everything to do with Batman. As far as the Internet is concerned, Batman has never existed. I should tell you that before he died he had me set up a localized EMP device within range of the Whitehouse. He said that we should activate it before we go to CADMUS. He planned for everything. I think he knew that he wouldn't be going there. And so he planned me into everything. By the way, I should tell that I have been in your systems since we docked and nothing exists of the conversation that we just had. Nor am I on any of your surveillance systems. I also plan. Anyway," he said businesslike. "Lets get down to business."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 25:

The founding members sat in the Javelin as Insider flew it towards their destination. It was in the Himalayas. They were all wrapped in thermal clothing that would also camouflage them. Well, all of them except Insider. When offered one he answered, "I don't need one. My suit can manipulate interior temperature and can also cloak me quite adequately. But thank you." That appeared to be part of his personality, Superman thought, he would say that he was better equipped than you but would be extremely polite while doing so. Like Batman. He suddenly stopped and began looking at Insider more closely. He appeared to be slightly taller than Batman was and had slightly broader shoulders. His manner of speech was also different, though it was difficult to tell behind the voice synthesizer. No, he thought, definitely not Batman. His thoughts turned solemn when he remembered where Batman really was. "We're close." Insider said, "I'll bring us down half a mile from the base and we can approach on foot." He set the Javelin down and opened the ramp and exited the plane. They all followed close behind him.

As they walked they went over the plan. It was actually quite simple. When they were quite close they would activate the EMP at the Whitehouse but Insider also had one with him just in case. He didn't want to have to use it because it would scramble his suit's circuitry. Then they would approach from three directions; J'onn and Green Lantern from the east, Wonder Woman and Flash from the west and Superman and Insider would approach from the north. That way at least one team would get in and ensure that the mission was a success. They were a hundred yards away when Insider said over the comm. Unit, "We're here. I'm activating the EMP, go to your positions." They spread out as quietly as possible. Insider reached for his wrist and pressed a button.

In Washington DC, specifically the Whitehouse, the power immediately cut. The phone lines were down as was the Internet connection and every electrical item within a mile.

"Go." Insider said to the League and they moved as one. Wonder Woman smashed through the perimeter fence with the Flash not far behind. In the east J'onn shifted into a large troll-like creature and charged the side gate while Green Lantern tore apart the walls like the weren't even there. And Superman and Insider strolled calmly to the front gate where Superman casually ripped the huge, iron door right off of it's hinges with no apparent effort. They were all inside the building. "Stick to the plan." Insider said to them all. The plan was that he and Superman would head for the reactor room to shut it down while the rest of the founding members would cause a distraction and gain intelligence on anything of interest. They never made it to the reactor room. Halfway there they walked right into Captain Atom and a legion of CADMUS soldiers. "I cannot let you continue, Superman. You are in a restricted area and you are currently considered a fugitive of the United States of America. As such I am authorized to take you in." Superman glared at the man in front of him, "Under whose authority?" Captain Atom answered, "That would be the President of the United States, Superman. Will you come quietly?" Insider sighed and said, "We don't have time for this." He then raised his right wrist and fired a short grey rod at him. He fired blue, nuclear energy at it but it did nothing and the rod went straight through his wrist and pinned his arm to the wall. "How?" He said. Insider answered, "Boron rod. It's what they use in Nuclear Power Stations to control the nuclear energy. I planned for you, Captain. Now tell your men to stand aside. Otherwise they will be moved." Superman stepped forward. A woman in a blue suit stepped forward and said, "They answer to me not him. You must be Insider. I have heard of you. You're even more of a myth than Batman was." Superman noticed how she said 'was'. "You had him killed." He said. The woman smiled and said, "Yes, Superman. He was a menace to society and I took him down. My men shot him down as he swung across the rooftops of Gotham. It was on my orders. I am Amanda Waller, by the way, Director of Project CADMUS. It's nice to finally meet you. Now," and here she turned to the men and said, "Fire." The men raised their guns and opened fire. Superman swore as they hit him. It actually hurt. "There are trace amounts of kryptonite in those bullets, not enough to kill you but enough to hurt you, possibly even cripple you temporarily. But they will kill your mysterious companion." She turned to Insider, or rather where Insider was stood. There was only empty space. Smoke billowed out among the men and they stopped shooting. The sounds of fighting could be heard in the shadows. The smoke finally cleared and they could see the pile of unconscious CADMUS soldiers on the floor with Insider stood next to them. "Come get me, Waller." He said, but then whispered loud enough only for Superman to hear. "Go to the reactor room, complete the mission. Around the corner is everything you will need. Go!" Superman stumbled to his feet as Waller and Insider began to circle each other, like wolves.


End file.
